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The Sydney Swans are on the verge of winning their third premiership in 10 years. It has been a remarkable effort from a team which has refused to bottom out and slide down the ladder to rebuild.
While many will argue that salary-cap concessions associated with the controversial cost of living allowance has given the Swans an unfair advantage over their opposition, money alone can’t buy the type of spirit that exists within Sydney’s ranks.
That comes from quality coaching, and for that Paul Roos and John Longmire must take a bow.
It is that spirit, not money, which gets them over the line in close games and keeps them motivated to perform at the highest of levels.
It is that spirit which also allows them to absorb an individual such as Buddy Franklin. Ok, the money did help a bit, but what many thought could be a recruiting disaster has turned out to be the icing on the cake for a Sydney team which, despite its evenness across the board, lacked a true superstar.
The way Franklin has blended into the team, and yet still retained his unpredictable brilliance, is not only testament to his quality as a player, but also to those around him. And the Swans will win a premiership because of it.
Of course this week’s grand final against Hawthorn will be a sterner test than last week’s preliminary final against North Melbourne, but the script will be the same. The Hawthorn defence, led by Brian Lake and Josh Gibson, will be stretched to breaking point against Franklin, Kurt Tippett, Adam Goodes and Sam Reid.
The Franklin, Tippett and Goodes trio kicked 12 goals between them against the hapless Kangaroos, while Reid got them off to a lively start.
The beauty of having such potency up forward is that even if one or two of the big boys don’t fire, they still need to be covered by an opponent. Leave them loose for even a moment and it could come back to hurt you.
While Hawthorn will be better equipped to deal with the Sydney forwards than the Roos were – with Ben Stratton and Grant Birchall to help out Lake and Gibson – they will need to be at their most vigilant best.
Hawthorn, of course, have a potent forward line themselves, with Jarryd Roughead and Jack Gunston providing the height and Luke Breust the zip. They have combined for 180 goals so far this season, with Roughead booting 6 last week against Port Adelaide.
But they will need to make the most of every opportunity that comes their way. As we have seen time and again throughout this finals series, the goals can suddenly dry up and the opposition can come with a rush.
The Hawks have concerns though. Their fade out against Port nearly cost them the game and they were probably lucky that the South Australian club kicked poorly for goal, especially early on.
They also appear less settled than Sydney. With Reid the only question mark for the Swans, Hawthorn look set to be making a few more changes.
The funny business started when Brad Sewell, who was dropped last week, was then also withdrawn from Box Hill’s VFL side on Sunday. As was Ben McEvoy. Was this to keep them fresh in case they are needed for the grand final? Are the Hawks hiding some injury concerns? We know Jordan Lewis copped a knock and may be in some doubt, but are there others?
The clash against Port was a bruising encounter, far more so than Sydney’s game against the Kangaroos, so there are certain to be some sore bodies.
Let’s not forget that Cyril Rioli played for Box Hill on Sunday and got through the game unscathed so he must now be in serious contention for a grand final berth.
As such, the Hawks could be looking at three, maybe four changes.
The Swans on the other hand, depending on the state of Reid’s knee, could go into the game with a line up that has remained unchanged since their qualifying final against Fremantle. That is remarkable under the high pressure of finals football. And lucky.
But successful September teams need a splash of luck, and when that luck combines with a team that is as stable and strong as Sydney’s line up, then the opposition better watch out.
Saturday’s game could be one for the ages but as the dust settles and the fans make their way through the lengthening shadows in Yarra Park to find their cars or the nearest public transport, it’ll be the ones wearing red and white who will be most happy.
Sydney by 23 points.
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